When you find a rod or reel brand do you normally stick with it or do you just look around for a good deal and whatever is better priced you buy? Just curious, I find that I tend to stick with a company after I get something and like it.

I stick with a brand if it's quality. In a way that saying "the equipment doesn't catch fish, the fisherman does" is mainly true. It doesn't hook em but it sure will help land them. Reviews are your best friend when making a rod/reel purchase. I am looking for a 3/4 wt and I'm still looking up reviews on a g loomis pro4x to see if it's really what I want

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"I think I fish, in part, because it's an anti-social, bohemian business that, when gone about properly, puts you forever outside the mainstream culture without actually landing you in an institution." John Gierach

Own a lot of different brands of rods and reels, one thing that I am particular about is not having the same type of rod and reel in a setup, not sure why it bothers me. Example- I have a orvis access 8 wt and a orvis access mid arbor 4 which matches perfectly, I can not have them together. I know, its weird.

I've always had a thing for orvis reels - mostly the battenkill models - and they're still the only kind I own and fish with.

The first couple rods I bought were orvis also. Then I branched out and bought a loomis IMX - which is a great rod. Several years ago, I decided to get a 4 piece rod for ease of travel.And I cast an echo carbon model at a local fly shop. And I was quite impressed with it - and it's very modest price tag - and bought it.

I'm not brand-loyal at all. Mostly because I like to fish old glass, so it's more about collecting and gathering different types of rods and reels. If I had to guess what brands I'm most "loyal" to, it'd probably be Cortland, but that's more for line and stuff like that.

I'm pretty loyal to Orvis because they have always stood behind their products when I needed them. Their customer service has always treated me well. Most of my equipment is orvis, with some Winston, Hardy, and Redington mixed in. Fly fishing vendors really do seem to have the best customer service I've ever dealt with.

No, I'm not brand loyal when it comes to rods. I've found that I have preferences. Though I haven't cast any newish models, I've never met a Loomis that I didn't like. And though I haven't cast any newish models, I never met an Orvis rod that I did like.

That said, if I picked up a new model of an Orvis rod, and cast it, and liked it, I wouldn't hesitate to buy. I have no problem with the company itself, and I WANT to like the rods. And in fact, I have 2 Battenkill (bar stock) reels and both have been flawless, and I've had a few pairs of Orvis waders that I liked, and I have some Orvis clothing as well. I like the company.

This all might have some relevance based on taper philosophy, or it might just be coincidence. i.e. I've tried some models of all, but I haven't tried all models of any of them. Maybe it's luck on which exact models I've tried up. But:

Like:

Loomis, Sage, St. Croix, Winston, Cortland

Ok:

Redington, TFO, Hardy, White River

Dislike:

Orvis, Scott, Cabelas

But again, I have no emotional attachment to, or hatred of, any of the above, and honestly look forward to being proven wrong. Variety is the spice of life.

I usually tend to be in the middle. But ever since my trip to alaska, I have been super loyal to a certain reel, Lamson Konic. it has caught every fish that swam in Alaska (during my trip), and has been my go to reel ever since. you really cant beat the price, for $100 bucks you really cannot go wrong, and i prefer it over their higher priced reels or any other reel that is made.

Rods/waders on the other hand, i tend to be a bit more open. i fish with many different kinds. but even there i tend to let money dictate what rod/waders i will buy. i see no need to ever buy a rod over $400, there is simply no way that it will help me catch more or bigger fish all the time.

Midge, I hate my konic, in fact it is the only reel I've ever owned where I can actually say I know it lost the fish because of it and not myself. For about a year I was able to land big fish on it, now not so much. I'll take my evolution 100 days out of 100 and for that reason I will prob stay loyal to Ross.

Wow, ive never had mine act up on me. Not once has one ever seemed off drag wise. it has not felt gritty or anything. im going to say it was just that reel just because of the guys i fish with, lots of them use the konics and love them

I fish around 150 days a year and have had it for 3 years now this Christmas. That prob has something to do with it lol. The drag has a hitch I can feel with big fish. It started once I began using it for wipers. Now I have to have the drag really loose and palm it.

I really have no brand loyalty and fish mostly with beater rods and reels and build pretty much all my fly rods, often mixing and matching pieces and shortening or modifying them with a hacksaw and glue.

I couldn't care less about the latest high end fly rods and reels.

I do have some loyalty to some individual items that have served me well for a long time but these generally aren't rods and reels.

I'm not very brand loyal with the rods I fish. I get whatever fits the need and casts well for me. I tend to find a rod I want and wait around for it to go on sale or closeout.

I really like Orvis and Lamson reels. Both brands have preformed very well for me and the warranty service has been great too. I dropped a battenkill mid-arbor off the roof of my car, the spool was knocked off center. You could hear metal scraping as the spool spun. I dropped it at the local Orvis store, they sent it in for repair no questions asked. I had it back in 2.5-3 weeks and it has been as good as new since I got it back. I also had a Lamson Guru that began squeeking when I stripped line off. They sent me a new clutch for it and that solved the problem. By sending me the part they saved me the warranty fee and cost of postage. It was nice that the Lamson guys did that for me.